THE

BECKER BULLETINFSA Writing Exam

On Tuesday, March 6th, my 5th grade scholars will be taking the 2018 FSA ELA Writing Test. Students will have 120 minutes to respond to either an informative or opinion prompt. This will be a paper-based test.

The writing test will be scored out of 10 points. Students can earn up to four points for focus (staying on topic and using transition words to begin new paragraphs), four points for evidence (using details to support your main idea), and two points for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

If you’d like more information about the 2018 FSA ELA Writing Test, visit www.fsaassessment.org. There, you’ll find a copy of the testing rubric, as well as sample essays so that you can see what a “10” looks like, as opposed to a failing score. Most importantly, however, make sure that your child is well-rested, and well-fed before coming to school on March 6th. I know they’ll do great!

The Week In Review Miscellaneous

SS: Students just tested on early settlements, and are now focused on colonial life.ELA: This week, we focused on cause and effect, as well as comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. Our prefix was “mis-.”Math: We just had a test on patterns and expressions, and are now starting a long unit on fractions.Science: We’re still learning about weather, and will test soon!Word of the Week:Our word of the week was “mindfulness.” Mindfulness is an incredible tool to help people understand, tolerate, and deal with their emotions in healthy ways. It helps us to alter our habitual responses by taking pause and choosing how we act.

Upcoming DatesMarch 6: FSA ELA Writing TestMarch 21: End of third nine weeksMarch 22: PI Night/Science FairMarch 26-30: Spring BreakApril 17-18: FSA ELA TestApril 24-25: FSA Math TestMay 1-2: FSA Science Test

Positive BehaviorStudents can earn extra recess every two weeks by demonstrating appropriate classroom behavior. If your child has not been chosen, encourage them to make good choices daily!

For Monday, students should neatly write and mark each of the following words with large, legible print on the index cards sent home today.

audiologist inaudible audiological xylophone phonemicauditorium applauding symphonic phonetically saxophone

Spelling

February 23, 2018

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have read the February 23 edition of The Becker Bulletin

Student Signature ______________________________ Parent Signature ________________________________Questions/Comments ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________